A Short Review of Beer: Redd's Apple Ale

Hello again, dear readers.

The website I found this pic on calls Redd's "a golden ale with hints of apple"

After a brief warm snap, the weather is starting to get cold again. While my husband experiments with various rum concoctions for hot toddies, I decided to crack open a Redd's Apple Ale beer after my husband tried to use it for a toddy but it didn't work as well as he'd intended it to.

While I was pleased to see that the top twists off as opposed to a traditional pop-top bottle, I was surprised by how watery the cider tasted. It was definitely not as sour as some of the other apple beers I've tasted, but it wasn't as sweet either; just neutral with an ever so slight hit of sour. Of all the apple ciders I've tried so far, Redd's tastes the most like apple juice (not a good apple juice, though). I was really surprised by how watery this brew is, but it could be because it's brewed like ale beer and not like typical apple cider.

At 5% alcohol by volume, it won't get you buzzed right away, but I can see somebody getting trashed after having a few of these in a short period of time. That being said, I have seen an 8% ABV brew of Redd's, which I will sample when I have the money to buy some.

Of note-Redd's also makes brews of other fruits, like green apple ale, strawberry ale and mango ale. I will be trying and reviewing these other varieties of fruity beer when I have the funds.

As for what sorts of foods pair well with Redd's, I'd say pork, barbecue and anything with onions. It's pretty neutral, so I don't expect the flavor of the ale to mess with your dish too much.

I guess my overall impression of Redd's Apple Ale is kinda blah. I wasn't especially impressed by it because I didn't like how watery it tasted. I don't think I will be buying this particular brew again.

For more information about Redd's Apple Ale, check out the brewery's website.

As always, please drink responsibly.

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The Defining Characteristics of A Good Prepaid Cell Phone Carrier

Greetings, dear readers!

My computer is almost back to normal! My hard drive was not on the fritz after all and it is now safely back in my computer again. Unfortunately, it's not all fixed because now my UEFI boot loader won't work without a stick (in non-Linux speak, this is the startup program that engages the operating system when I turn on the computer). If it's not one thing that's fucked up, it's something else. Is this the price I pay for leaving Windows and opting for a version of Linux where I control every damn aspect of the software? Maybe. But, like ads on websites, it's just another cost of doing business. Maybe I should have made my husband give me a more user friendly distro of Linux that's a bit more automated... But on the other hand, my function keys and number pad on the keyboard all work! It's been over a year since they could because an update severely screwed up some configurations in my keyboard.

Soon, this bullshit will be done with and I can resume blogging regularly again!

Anyway, on to Day 16 of the 21 day blog challenge. This prompt called for a description of some good product or service that could be of use to you. In light of my technological woes of late, I figured this would be a good time to discuss a service that has been of use to me as a low income individual: prepaid cellphone service.

Having worked in a call center that handled customer service for Verizon Wireless, I learned a few things about what makes a cell phone service good as opposed to expensive. I will share what I learned below. I hated working in the call center, but it wasn't a total waste of time.

The big thing for me was a carrier which offered a phone with good camera resolution (at least 8MP) so that I could take pictures, especially of my cat, Pest, in his bathtub domain...

• No long term commitments!
• When I was looking to get a smartphone, I knew right off I was not going to go with a company that made me sign a contract to get a phone. Being a low income individual, my financial situation can change on a dime and suddenly that monthly cell phone bill can become overwhelming. Termination fees are quite hefty, but so are device payment agreements and just about every major carrier has fees that it uses to gouge customers for making changes on their accounts. Basically, I was looking for a service where I could get a decent phone for a decent price, but if I couldn't afford my bill for a month or so, I could finish out the billing cycle and the charges wouldn't roll over into the next month. I didn't mind going out of service for a while, I just didn't want to owe a cell phone company alot of money. A good phone service will let you go offline if your situation requires, and come back on again when needed without fees or penalties.
• Decent variety of phones with desirable features
• The big hangup that alot of people, myself included, have with prepaid phone service is that while the phones don't cost much, they lack many desirable features like high-pixel cameras or durability and are hard to shop for accessories. In my case, I wanted a phone with a good camera as I take lots of pictures, and a well known model so that accessories like cases and screen protectors wouldn't be hard to find (I wound up settling on a Samsung Galaxy SIII). A good phone service will have phones with models you recognize and with features you want.
• Flexible plans and features
• Since I rarely talk on the phone, but text and surf the net alot, I was looking for plans where I didn't have many minutes, but had unlimited messaging and data. This actually proved to be the most challenging part of my search for a decent prepaid phone service because just about all the carriers I looked at included unlimited minutes, which in turn, jacked the price of the plan up! I eventually found one that gave me a set amount of minutes each month with unlimited texting and data, just like I asked. There were other plans which included unlimited minutes, but also some which restricted data usage to just WiFi. My carrier also listed some extra features, like device insurance or hotspot, which carried monthly charges, but there were plenty of free features too, like caller ID, unlimited streaming music and international messaging. A good prepaid cellphone service gives you plenty of useful free features, and for features you must pay for, the monthly charge isn't outrageous.
• Coverage where you need it
• This goes without saying, but a good prepaid cellphone carrier has service coverage in your area.
• Unlimited data is included
• It may seem like a rather frivolous characteristic, but since most of our daily activities are moving online and given the proliferation of apps for just about everything under the sun, cellular data is becoming a more crucial aspect of our phone's functionality. Many carriers offer a set amount of data, and then charge overages when the user uses more than their allotted amount. Others do away with limits, but throttle the cellular speed after a certain amount of data is used. Do examine your usage habits, as well as the availability of WiFi spots you can connect to, to determine how much data you will use. Generally speaking, a good prepaid carrier has unlimited data, but throttles the speed after a high level of use. It's better to be slow after 4GB than to be hit with monster overage charges.
• Offer good customer perks
• See if the carrier offers perks to customers, like special plans or discounts off of devices. My carrier upgraded me to unlimited minutes for the same price as my old set minute plan, but kept my data level and messaging the same. They did that as a courtesy because I've been a customer for so long. It was notable because of the plans they had available, my data level was not offered anymore. I occasionally get a free month of service from time to time too. A good prepaid cellphone company will have plenty of perks to reward customers who've been with them for a while.

Can you think of anything else I should add to this list? Write them in the comments below.

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Why You Need To Be Religious

Hello readers!

I'm back after yet another computer freakout. I seriously think my hard drive is on the fritz. My husband has the drive now and is currently working on it to backup the data on it and try fixing it. For now, he has my computer running off of a USB boot stick he made using a custom build of the Slackware 4.4 kernel, which seems to be working fairly well. I was also pleasantly surprised to discover that my laptop fan actually works again and I don't have to bungle with the large computer fan I'd been using for the past year or so to keep my computer cool. I don't know how my fan started working again, but I have my behemoth on standby just in case it conks out for a prolonged period of time again.

It's Day 15 of the 21 day blogging challenge. Today's prompt also dealt with a need. While I'm by no means a religious blogger, I thought this would be a good time to address the need of religion in the life of an impoverished individual.

Rockwell-style painting of a man teaching his son to pray. Pic found here

As a low income parent and wife, religion plays a large role in my life. My husband and I try and live out our Catholic faith as authentically as possible. Are we perfect? No, but the Church has means of dealing with humanity's various glitches so that we can become closer to God. It may sound weird to the average American who has been educated in our secular public schools and immersed in our secular media culture, but being religious and going to church regularly actually has made me less stressed about my socioeconomic status than I otherwise would be. Call it faith, call it a placebo effect, call it adaptation or whatever you want, but in my experience, the more I go to church and participate in the Sacraments, the more I feel like I can listen better to God and what His Will is for me. It's like He is telling me "don't worry, I got your back" when it comes to stressful situations in my life. It's a strangely liberating feeling, but what is even more profound is that I don't think I could have learned this lesson in religiosity without plunging off the socioeconomic ladder in the first place.

Religion has a way of serving as a psychological cushion. In one form or another, people have turned to religion as a means of solace from life's difficulties and for understanding their world. Some might deride this as a superstitious way of living, but one of humanity's most defining characteristics is the belief that there is something greater than us out there which plays a significant role in our lives. Even if one formally rejects the idea of an omnipresent deity, that vacancy is replaced by something else (money, political ideology, etc). Pascal's Wager says that it's better to believe in God than not because even if God turns out not to exist, you're not gonna wind up someplace worse than where you already are.

Lent is coming soon. If you've been away from church for a long time, the upcoming penitential season is presenting a good opportunity for you to come back and get back in touch with God. You don't have to become a fanatic, but it's good to have a relationship with God and Jesus. They can help you out in lots of ways, which is a huge stress reliever on your mind.

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My Top Picks for Summer 2016: 4 Cheap Beauty Must-Haves

Happy Sunday, dear readers! I hope your favorite football teams have won their respective games (don't ask about my local Arizona Cardinals...)

For Day 14 of the 21 day blogging challenge, I'm prompted to bring out my forecasting skills. With my other vice being beauty, I figured I'd share some low budget must haves for beauties this upcoming summer!

Hot stuff for the summer. Pic found here

1. Coconut oil

I have previously written about this highly useful cosmetic (and culinary) item a number of times. Expect it to become more mainstream this summer, especially as a conditioner and moisturizer.

2. Toilet paper

This may come as a surprise, but toilet paper is actually a great makeup remover sheet. It's cheap, it's easily disposed of, and it's multipurpose (it's a great blotting paper and tissue, in addition to wiping your bottom). I use toilet paper and coconut oil to take my makeup off, and then just flush the used sheets down the toilet. Why bother spending money on expensive wipes or cotton pads when you have something just as good already in your bathroom!

3. DIY brushes

This was actually inspired by a video tutorial I stumbled across online somewhere (I can't remember if it was on Facebook or Buzzfeed). The products aren't expensive, and I think the results look better than the expensive MAC brushes.

4. Natural makeup

On a recent trip to Sephora, I came across bronzers from Too Faced being made with cocoa powder. As people, and millenials like myself, are becoming more and more aware of what products go in and on our bodies, expect more and more companies to start producing cosmetics with fewer chemical components and more natural ingredients.


What do you forsee becoming hot stuff this coming summer?

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My Favorite Quotes About Education

Hello dear readers, and welcome back to my blog.

I'm really sorry I haven't been posting more regularly. It's been tough this week with my health AND my computer taking a shit at the same time (note to self: don't ever use beta ware. The developers need to get the kinks worked out FIRST and make it an official release). It's hard to maintain a regular blog schedule when you physically can't post anything for one reason or another. On the other hand, I finally got my RAM doubled, something I'd been needing done for a while.

I went to Linux to get away from the bugs of Windows, and I still can't get a problem-free computer!

I meant to post this yesterday, but for Day 13 of the 21 day challenge, I was asked to include some quotes. This was a bit of a tough one because my favorite quotes range from education to politics to love and sports. But, since most of my favorite quotes which I have listed on my Facebook page pertain to education, I will include those.


"To teach superstitions as truth is a most terrible thing."-Hypatia of Alexandria, on quality of education

I was something of an atheist at the time I posted my quotes from this illustrious intellectual of the past, but while I am quite religious now, there are still some lessons to be learned.

"Reserve your right to think, for even to think wrongly is better than not to think at all."-Hypatia of Alexandria, on free speech

"No brain, no headache"-Morgan Ensberg, favorite quote

Morgan Ensberg was a baseball player for the Houston Astros. I don't remember when exactly it was I heard this, but I do remember it was relayed by a baseball announcer during a game. It might even have been during a World Series championship. Either way, I was struck by its simplicity and truth-when you don't think about something, your brain doesn't hurt.

"Education is an admirable thing, but it is as well to remember that nothing that is worth knowing can be taught."- Oscar Wilde


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Update: The Latest Changes To My Blog

Hello again, dear readers!

Day 12 of the challenge calls for an update. Since I keep up to date with my life on here fairly regularly, there are not many changes that you need to be alerted to. As for my blog, that has undergone some changes this past year.

Like housework, some changes need to be done

Since I'm still new to the whole "blogging for money" thing, I've been experimenting with affiliate links (those are the banners at the top of my page) and ad revenue. I will change banners from time to time if there is something I think you may be interested in. Blogging for money is not an easy thing and it will be a while before I see any substantial income, if at all. However, I believe there are lessons to be learned on this journey of mine as I figure out what works, what doesn't, and how much is the hit/windfall going to cost me.

I'm also trying to tighten things up so that not only will Google see my page and make it easier for you to find me. That, and make things so that when you're here, your experience is not a horrible one with ad eyesores and popups that get in the way of scrolling.

Finally, the layout has changed a bit since I resumed blogging. I found a background with fonts that I liked and rearranged a few things in the layout. I haven't ruled out changing the background again, but I don't see any point in doing so for the time being.

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How To Be More Patient With Children

Hello dear readers. I'm sorry I haven't written for a few days. I got really sick with the flu and while I was fortunate to avoid a hospital trip, I could barely get out of bed, much less pile up the pillows and sit in front of my computer. I'm still sick, but feel better enough to write. Before I got pregnant, I hadn't had a flu shot in more than four years and never once came down with the flu. Each year I've gotten a flu shot since then, I've gotten sick. So much for preventative medicine...

At this point, I'm not going to double or triple up my posts in a day because, healthy or not, I simply cannot do that and care for an infant at the same time. So, I will finish the challenge as I am able to, however many days behind I may be.

The prompt for Day 11 was a how-to, and this took a bit of thinking since I'm not normally a how-to sort of writer. But, I've given it my best shot.

Baby and Daddy, March for Life 2016

Since I write quite a bit about parenthood, I figured I'd share a tip I've learned when it comes to dealing with children, specifically, patience with them. Having come fresh off this Saturday's March for Life, I got a refresher on how tragic it is that we live in a culture where it's acceptable to openly hate children and despise those who care for them by denying their caregivers opportunities to form healthy bonds with their offspring (like paid leave for new mothers and higher wages which would allow mothers who choose to stay home be able to make ends meet with their husbands/partner's incomes). Be that as it may, for now, children still make up a significant part of our daily encounters, whether it be in school, at the store, restaurants, etc. Prior to pregnancy, seeing kids running around in the store would make me strongly resist the urge to smack the little monsters. Now that I have a child of my own, I more or less ignore the running children because alot of times, they can't help themselves.

The biggest, and hardest, bit of advice I have to give with regard to becoming more patient with children of any sort is to try getting into their heads. Try to see the world as they do and how they feel about it. When my daughter starts babbling loudly in church or a small child in the pews further back is playing with toys, it's because they simply don't have the attention span to sit still and be quiet during Mass. We as parents try to instill in our children that certain behaviors are not allowed in some places, but it takes some doing because each child learns at a different pace. Now when I encounter running children in the stores, I realize they do this because at that age, the world is still a giant game. With their naturally high energy levels, combined with the various stimuli of the store, there might well be a giant neon sign on the building flashing "COME PLAY HERE!!" When my daughter has a tantrum when I take the computer mouse or my cellphone away from her reach, it's because she thinks the object in my hand is a toy for her to play with or chew on. The key here is empathy. It's hard to empathize sometimes, but like anything else, it's easier with practice.

Is it annoying when kids run around in church or at the store? Yes, it still is. But when you understand why they do it, it makes their presence more bearable for everyone.

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